Fishing Report: 328-pound shark wins Snug Harbor tournament

By Dave MontiSpecial to The Journal

Thursday

Jul 11, 2019 at 7:19 PMJul 11, 2019 at 7:19 PM

“The thresher shark picked up our squid and ran with it. That first run was spectacular. We fought the shark for an hour and 45 minutes,” said Richard Napolitano, recounting the battle for the fish that took first place in the 38th annual Snug Harbor Shark Tournament.

Napolitano was quick to point out that his sportfishing vessel, "Knot Reel Teeth," successfully caught, tagged and released five other mako and blue sharks during the tournament, as they normally do. This serves as a great data resource for fish managers.

“We had just moved the boat to a new location, put out two rods, and as soon as we put out the third with squid ... that’s when the 328-pound mako hit," Napolitano said. "We chased it around a bit and then the shark sounded and we had to get it up. We finally circled the fish, with [his son] Chris putting on the pressure by pumping and reeling, pumping and reeling, trying to disrupt the fish. Finally, the fish turned on its side and came up.

“My son, Chris, did a great job on the fish; my son Ryan orchestrated the whole thing from the cockpit while I was at the helm. We also had two other crew that did a great job helping to harpoon and tail-tie the fish. ... Hats off to Jim DeAngelo and Matthew Charland for their great work."

Jim Sansaua took second place with a 230-pound thresher, according to Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina.

The tournament started at 5 a.m. on Saturday and ended at 5 p.m. on Sunday; the first- and second-place winners were both caught on Saturday. Proceeds from the tournament go to the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and the Recreational Fishing Alliance.

The Gulf of Maine cod season will open Sept. 15-30 with a one-fish, per-person, per-day limit. The minimum size is 21 inches. There will be no April season.

The haddock season is May 1 to Feb. 29 and April 15-30 with a 15-fish, per-person, per-day limit. The minimum size is 17 inches.

The minimum size for Georges Bank cod will be 21 inches, while the possession limit remains 10 fish per person, per day.

For more information, visit fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass: Fishing has moved out of the Narragansett Bay. “The bass bite in the Providence River slowed this week with not many fish being taken," said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box in Warwick. Bruce Miller of Canal Bait & Tackle in Sagamore, Mass., said: “The bass bite on the [Cape Cod] Canal has been OK this week but not as good as last week. Anglers are still hooking up with 30- to 40-pound fish using jigs on the west side of the Canal.”

Black sea bass/summer flounder: “The fluke and black sea bass bite has been very good with anglers staying inside or fishing Cleveland Ledge, where the bite has been outstanding,” Miller said. Anglers continue to hook up with fluke around the Jamestown and Newport bridges, with some finding fish out in front along the coastal shore.

Scup: Fishing continues to be very good just about anywhere there is structure and water movement. “Many customers have said the scup have been larger than ever before," Giddings said. "They are also catching more sea robins and dogfish than ever before from shore at Conimicut Point.”

Offshore: A report from noted offshore angler Richard Pastore: “We headed out at 5:30 a.m. from Wickford on Wednesday to Tuna Ridge and the temperature break we saw [on satellite]. At Tuna Ridge, temperature change went from 69 to almost 73 in a couple of miles. Flat seas, no bait and a few birds. Set in about 7 a.m. heading south toward NW corner of the Dump. We put out black squid and brown squid splash bars on the outside tracks about 150 feet back in the outriggers. Inside lines were a black and blue Islander with a Ballyhoo and green machine daisy chain with a bird leading the way. Twenty minutes out, the brown spreader bar explodes and almost tears the outrigger off the boat. The fish came out of nowhere. The fish dumps about half of a spool of a 50-wide Penn reel until my son, Joseph, finally slows him down. Ten minutes later, fish is pinwheeling next to the boat. We gaffed the fish, a 50-pound real fat bluefin tuna loaded with squid.”

Freshwater: No major trout fishing or bite is reported. All the action is focused on largemouth bass, with anglers using medium to large shiners to hook up. “The largemouth bass are in post-spawn now and customers are catching them at Stump Pond, Smithfield; the Turner Reservoir, East Providence; and at Olney Pond, Lincoln Woods," Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said. “Freshwater fishing continues to be fantastic for customers," Giddings said. "Largemouth bass, white perch and carp at Roger Williams Park all continue to be good. Customers are hooking up with bass at Carbuncle Pond, Coventry; Warwick Pond; and Olney Pond, Lincoln.”

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. He is an RISAA board member, a member of the R.I. Party & Charter Boat Association, the American Saltwater Guides Association and the R.I. Marine Fisheries Council. Follow Captain Dave on twitter @CaptDaveMonti. He’ll be tweeting about "Where’s the bite," fishing regulations, national fishing policy and issues that affect the fish. Forward fishing news and photos to Captain Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net or visit noflukefishing.com.

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